Air mass flow meters are suitable for detecting a mass flow of a fluid (air mass flow) in a flow channel. Such a flow channel can be, for example, an air intake pipe of an internal combustion engine. Diagnoses, for example, of the operation of the internal combustion engine can be carried out and control of the internal combustion engine can take place as a function of the mass flow detected by the air mass flow meter. For these purposes, detection of the actual mass flow which is also reliable under different operating conditions and is as accurate as possible is important.
DE 197 24 659 A1 discloses a mass flow sensor device which comprises a sensor element. The sensor element is disposed and integrated on a separate chip. Furthermore, evaluation electronics are disclosed, which are designed separately but are electrically coupled to the sensor unit.
Modern air mass flow meters, which are built using microsystem (MEMS) technology, for example, are very rapid and detect nearly every change in the mass air flow. In addition, they can distinguish between air flowing in the air intake pipe to the internal combustion engine and air flowing back from the internal combustion engine. In addition, pulsations in the air intake pipe which result from the cyclic mode of operation of piston internal combustion engines are detected by rapid air mass flow meters and are converted by the sensor element into a signal. These pulsations, however, can result in a considerable adulteration of the measured value for the mean air mass flow.